Sennheiser IE800

Disclaimer: By no surprise, this is James' pair. Truly a great friend. 

In April 2012, Sennheiser introduce their innovative In-ear monitor, IE800, to the public. Designed by Axel Grell, who is the mastermind behind HD800's brilliant ring radiator driver, IE800 is equipped with several key features:

1. Extra Wide Band (XWB) driver with the rated frequency response range of 5 to 46.5 kHz

2. Precisely controlled air flow minimizing THD to less than 0.06 %

3. The dampened-two-channel-absorber (D2CA) reducing insertion-depth induced peaks

4. Diffuse-field equalized sound
5. Ceramic housing & detachable kevlar-reinforced cable

Unlike some manufacturers that exaggerate their technologies with commercial bluff, Sennheiser have always been quite truthful to their claims: Such as this and this. Once all these claims from #1 to #4 on IE800 turn out to be legitimate, not only IE800 will become the king of the high-end IEMs, but their technological superiority will also once again be fortified.

Samsung HS3000: Apt-X enabled

Disclaimer: LOL, this is another gear owned by James!

I have never heard of Samsung HS3000 before, but the Apt-X technology implemented in this bluetooth device should have a sound quality equivalent to that of the red book standard, 16 bit / 44.1 kHz.

Since I don't have any Apt-X technology enabled devices, I just used James' Creative ZEN3 X-Fi. There is one problem with ZEN3: the device starts to have a digital clipping when the volume level goes beyond 26/31. As this problem is not seen on its headphone output, this must be due to Creative's mistake when they initially implemented the bluetooth module.

Again, Mark of the Unicorn UltraLite-mk3 has been used for the analysis, and the output level is set to maximum. Please refer to AES17-1998 standard for further details on the analysis parameters.

Creative ZEN3 X-Fi

Disclaimer: This device was included in James' surprising shipment from Austria

I spent some time to calibrate my measurement setup for analyzing line level devices. Was going to do it sooner or later, but never really had an urgent need for it until now. No technical detail of this device has been disclosed by the manufacturer, Creative, which is quite shameful.

Mark of the Unicorn UltraLite-mk3 has been used for the analysis, and the device's output level is set to maximum. Please refer to AES17-1998 standard for further details on the analysis parameters.

Final Audio Design Piano Forte VIII: An electroacoustic outlaw

Disclaimer: Yet again, I should thank James for providing me with more than I could have ever hoped for.

Piano Forte VIII, also known as FI-DC6102SB, is one of Final Audio Design's flagship electrodynamic models. Originally designed to be completely sleeveless like any intra-concha earbuds, Piano Forte VIII is truly an unique IEM. As sleeves couple the acoustic transmission between the IEM and the ear canal together, with such sleeveless design, the radiation impedance caused by leak interferes the bass response greatly. However, according to the manufacturer, the IEM comes with their all-new cutting edge technologies that can negate all of the intereference.

However, there is absolutely nothing new about their claims, as such tweaking techniques can be seen on any IEMs from Sony MDR-EX1000 to the budget-priced Monoprice 9927. As their controversial Balanced-Air-Motion technology turned out to be a commercial gimmick previously, it is not very hard to imagine that they can also be complete bogus as well.

Monoprice 9927: Modified by Rin Choi

Disclaimer: This pair is owned by Inks.

After losing two units of 8320 & three units of 9927, now the modification technique has been fully finalized. The IEM shown above is the ultimate Monoprice 99RC, with enlarged & elongated nozzles and a pair of cyanoacrylate-coated drivers. 

On the modification of Monoprice 8320 & 9927 [Updated]

[Updated on 3/20/13: Final version has been rolled out, with a cyanoacrylate coat applied]

As previously analyzed, Monoprice 8320 & 9927 are formidable contenders for the throne in the budget-fi war of IEMs. Although their electroacoustic performance are excellent, two problems need to be addressed:

1. Short bandwidth

2. A quarter-wavelength resonance at 5 kHz

While MEElec's large triflange definitely mediates the issue, not everyone can fit such a huge sleeve in their ear canals. Should internal modifications be able to take care of the issue, There is no doubt that Monoprice 8320 & 9927 are true kings among the others.

Sony MH1: modified by Rin Choi

At last, here is the final design of Sony MH1 modified by myself. Should I call this MH-RC?

HiFiMAN RE-400: Evolution or Devolution?

Disclaimer: this sample was purchased at my own expense

After a sudden discontinuation of their introductory model RE-0, HiFiMAN comes up with a new pair of IEMs, RE-400. This model features new innovations, such as an OFC-copper cable, a magnesium housing, and most notably, a titanium-absort diaphragm. Coming with a price tag of $99, RE-400 is slightly expensive than its predecessor, which was $79.

As previously stated, HiFiMAN RE-0 is one of the IEMs with stunning electroacoustic characteristics. If  RE-400 turns out to be overwhelming RE-0's performance, it will surely be considered as a very successful transition done by the manufacturer.

The effect of ear sleeves: Monoprice 9927

The frequency response of Monoprice 9927 is quite linear, but some might find the quarterwave resonance at 5 kHz little too exaggerated, whether it is subjectable to the listener or not. If such peak can effectively be subdued, Monoprice 9927 shall indeed become one of the flattest IEMs in the market.